Upland rice breeding lines adapted to high elevation areas selected through participatory approaches

IRRI publication

Upland rice in Indonesia is cultivated in about 1.15 million ha comprising diverse geographical areas of low to high altitude. To this day, in the high-altitude areas, farmers still cultivate traditional rice varieties mainly due to absence of improved varieties specifically released as suitable for these areas. Breeding to improve upland rice varieties adaptable to high elevation areas has resulted in a number of promising upland rice lines with high potential for farmers' adoption. A set of 12 upland rice lines were evaluated in replicated yield trials to assess their adaptability in two sites representing different altitudes. The first experiment was conducted in Cianjur District with an elevation of 1099 meters above sea level (masl). The second experiment was carried out in Wonosobo District with an elevation of 900 masl. Two check varieties used in both experiments included a traditional rice variety Sigambiri Putih and improved variety Jatiluhur. To assess farmers' acceptance of the breeding lines, a participatory varietal selection was conducted in Wonosobo District involving 10 female and 10 male farmers. These trials demonstrated differences in agronomic characteristics and yields among genotypes grown under two different altitudes. Most of the upland rice breeding lines performed well in 900 masl site only. In contrast, the traditional variety Sigambiri Putih consistently performed well in both altitudes. In 900 masl site, the line B11592F-MR-23-2-2 yielded 3.2 t/ha and was higher than check varieties Jatiluhur (2.75 t/ha) and Sigambiri Putih (3.09 t/ha). In 1099 masl site, the highest yielding genotype was Sigambiri Putih (4.45 t/ha), while among upland rice breeding lines B12161D-MR-1-1-5 showed the highest yield (2.25 t/ha). Participatory varietal selection in Wonosobo District revealed only 4 genotypes with positive preference scores including Jatiluhur, Sigambiri Putih, B13650E-TB-80-2 and B11592F-MR-23-2-2. The line B11592F-MR-23-2-2 which has high yield and obtained positive preference score has the potential for release as a new upland rice variety for high elevation areas of up to 900 masl.

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